The Boy Who Lived In A Big Blue Box
by hogwartsharpist
Summary: When Harry, Ron and Hermione step into a telephone box, they think they're entering the Ministry of Magic. Once the Doctor greets them, they realize they're sorely mistaken. What happens when the TARDIS encounters the Wizarding World? Wibbly wobbly, abracadabra...stuff. 10/Rose.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! New story! This time about my two favorite fandoms. Enjoy.**

Harry Potter looked up and down the street, shifting anxiously. If there wasn't a break in traffic soon, he was going to be late for his very first job as an Auror. But the cars pushed forward along the street. They seemed blissfully oblivious to his plight.

"Come off it," he muttered to himself. The bathroom entrance to the Ministry of Magic was just across the street. All he needed was the right moment to cross.

"Oi! Harry!" called a boisterous voice. Harry hardly had time to look around before someone grabbed him in a hug from behind.

"Ron?" Harry wheezed out.

"Oh, let him breathe, Ronald!" said another voice fondly. Ron released him, and he and Hermione stepped into Harry's view.

"What are you two doing here?" Harry asked in surprise. "I thought you'd already be at work!"

"We got your letter!" Hermione said in confusion. "The letter that said you wanted us here to wish you off." Harry looked at her bemusedly. "You know – " She pulled out a cobalt blue envelope, pulled a letter out, and began reading. "_Dear Ron and Hermione, wondered if you might come to the curb across the street from the bathroom entrance of Ministry of Magic to see me off. Just in case my first job involves getting eaten by dragons or sea anemones or dragon-sea-anemones. Cheers, Harry._"

Harry still looked taken aback. Ron elbowed Hermione. "See, told you it wasn't like him. Harry never says _cheers_. He's too grumpy for that. Probably something to do with the fact he doesn't see me as often as he'd like."

"Well, if you didn't send it, who – " Hermione began. She was interrupted by Ron, who suddenly pointed across the street.

"I'd swear that wasn't there before." He was pointing at a police box across the street. It was dark blue and old-fashioned, and had a burn mark across its front door.

Harry frowned. "No, it wasn't. I don't suppose there's such a thing as a magic telephone box? One that disappears and reappears at will?"

"Well, there's the Ministry of Magic visitors' entrance," said Hermione. "The one we used to go rescue Sirius. But that one's red."

"Maybe they've remodeled?" suggested Ron. "So that whenever you need it it appears?"

Harry's glasses felt heavier on his nose than usual. "Let's go investigate. I don't want to get to work yet anyways."

The break in traffic finally, miraculously appeared and they started off across the street. It was the most peculiar sensation, but the closer they got to the mysterious police box, the more his glasses started to tingle. It was as if they had developed a life of their own. Harry told himself he was being ridiculous. It was probably just nerves from his first day on the job.

They reached the old police box and stood uncertainly in front of it. Harry reached out a tentative hand towards the door and pulled on the handle. It was locked. Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Alohomora!" It remained locked. Harry pulled out his own wand and repeated the spell. He heard a click as the gears disengaged and the door unlocked

Hermione looked shocked. "Why would it work for you and not for me?"

Harry's heart was in his ears and his glasses tingled even more. "Dunno."

Ron reached out a hand towards the door. "Maybe the answer's in here."

The door swung open as he pushed it, and they stepped inside.

They were not prepared for what they saw.

**It's going to be an adventure, friends. You stay classy. And leave a review :)**

** Love, **

** americanathogwarts**


	2. Chapter 2

**Having so much fun writing this! I actually have a sort of plan now! Three rousing choruses of We Are The Champions in honor of inspiration!**

"AND IT SEEMS TO ME YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE LIKE A CANDLE IN THE WIND, NEVER KNOWING WHO TO CLIIIIIING TOOOOOOOO – " the man at the console bellowed, swinging his arm wildly like a rockstar. His floor length duster spun around behind him as he executed a magnificent spin. He froze, poised like a ballerina mid-twirl, when he caught sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione. The man blushed a deep scarlet.

"Oi! Who do you think you are, walking into my private – I was – you – downright disrespectful!" he spluttered. "Stirring tribute to Princess Di of Wales, but she passed in 1997 and hopefully this is 1996 so you wouldn't know about that yet, and you walk in like you bloody own the place, which you _don't_, because nobody can really own a TARDIS and in any case you don't even know what a TARDIS is – stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, bigger on the inside, all the universe at its feet (well, actually it doesn't really have feet) although it never seems to take me where I want to go, verrrrry temperamental she is, like one of your human women, always doing her own thing, taking me to bloody Raxicoricofallapatorius instead of Hong Kong and stranding me in the year 200 instead of 2000...speaking of, what year is it?" It was the first time he'd paused for breath. He looked questioningly at the three.

"I...er...this isn't the Ministry of Magic, is it," Ron stammered.

"It's 1999," Hermione said.

"Oh great Rassilon," the man muttered. "See what I mean? I wanted 1996, you great blue lump. It's a wonder I don't just fill you up with packing peanuts, ship you off like the box you are – " The telephone-box-that-wasn't-a-telephone-box shuddered. "Only joking, my love."

"Er, sir, if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" Harry found his voice at last.

"The Doctor," the man said. Harry opened his mouth. "Just the Doctor," the Doctor said firmly. "Not Doctor Strangelove, not Doctor Zhivago, and definitely not Doctor Mengele. That man was horrid, I had to fight him off with nothing but toenail clippers."

Hermione blinked. "Well then, Doctor, are you a wizard?"

"Course not, those don't exist." Ron coughed. "What?" the Doctor asked, frowning.

"Are you _sure_," pressed Hermione. "Are you really, really sure?"  
"Er, yeah. Definitely not a wizard. Perhaps you need to get your head checked? Ooh! I'll do this young man's! Ginger! Brilliant! I was hoping I'd be ginger this time round, but no such luck."

"What are you, then?" asked Harry. Curious was much too weak a word to describe how he was feeling.

"Time Lord," said the Doctor simply.

"Right then," Harry said cautiously. He'd be inclined to think this man was crazy, but there was the whole bigger on the inside telephone box. "Why are you here?"

A crease appeared between the Doctor's thick black eyebrows. "I caught wind of a huge ripple in time. Seventeenth of June, 1996. That's sort of my specialty, so I decided to investigate."

"Seventeenth of June..." Hermione turned to Harry, eyes alight. "The night we went to rescue Sirius?"

"Yeah, you're right," Harry answered. He wasn't going to forget that day anytime soon.

"Rescue Serious? What, were you worried about Joviality and Flippancy taking over?" asked the Doctor lightheartedly. No one else laughed. "Sorry, what's Serious?"

"Sirius, my godfather," answered Harry. If this man hadn't heard of Sirius Black, mad murderer and later tragic hero, he must not be a wizard.

"What happened to him?"

"He...died. Seventeenth of June. Died like a true hero."

The Doctor was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "So, so sorry." Harry was mildly surprised. He'd heard that phrase a lot, but this was one of the only times there had been understanding behind it.

"Thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did he die?" the Doctor asked.

Hermione answered for Harry. "He was defending Harry, Ron and against Death Eaters – they're these evil people who work for the most evil man in the world, Lord – "

"Voldemort?" The Doctor laughed. "Oh, and Sirius Black is your godfather, which makes you Harry Potter. Ginger, you're Ron, right? And this must be Hermione."

"So you are a wizard!" said Hermione, surprised.

"Er, no," said the Doctor. He looked calm, but there was anger in his dark eyes now. "And you aren't either. Why don't you tell me the truth? Who are you, and HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY TARDIS?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped at his sudden shout. He advanced towards them. "Only a Time Lord can get through that door, and only then with a sonic device. What are your real names? How did you get in? What do you want from me?"

"We told you!" squeaked Hermione. "Harry, Ron, and I'm Hermione – "

"For Gallifrey's sake, stop _lying_!" the Doctor shouted at her.

"Don't you yell at her!" Ron shouted back.

The Doctor opened his mouth to shout again, but Ron was quicker. Whipping out his wand, he pointed it at the Doctor. "SILENCIO!"

The Doctor was suddenly mute. He continued to gesture and mouth wildly until he realized no sound was coming out. He froze and looked from one of them to the other in shock. He pointed at Ron's wand, then to his mouth, connected the dots and started jumping up and down, flapping his hands, with an expression of having opened his Christmas presents a day early.

"None of that," snarled Ron. "Nobody yells at my girlfriend, got it?" Hermione rolled her eyes, but looked pleased. The Doctor stopped jumping but still looked ecstatic. Ron removed the spell.

"YOU'RE WIZARDS!" The Doctor screamed. "REAL WIZARDS! WITH _WANDS_! AND NOT JUST ANY WIZARDS! IT'S THE GOLDEN TRIO! YOU EXIST!"

"Take it down a decibel!" yelled Ron.

The Doctor grabbed his hand and shook it. "Oh, so pleased to meet you! Mister Ronald Weasley! Hero of the Wizarding World!" Ron looked slightly mollified. "And Hermione Granger! Oh, you were brilliant! That bit with the Roskralchinro in the pipes? Fantastic!"

"Actually that was a basilisk," beamed Hermione. "But thanks."

"And you. Harry James Potter. You don't know what it's like to meet you. I didn't even know you were real. Oh, the time I've spent scouring London for The Leaky Cauldron...and you walk right into my TARDIS! _Quelle coincidence_! I knew old JK had to be lying about you all being fiction..."

Harry frowned. "Who?"

Just then, the most peculiar sound hit the air. It sounded like how a machine would talk, if machines could talk. The funny pump on top of the dais in the center of the room started pistoning up and down, and the TARDIS began to tremble.

"What?" muttered the Doctor. "What?" He ran to the controls and started pushing and pulling things. "You can't just leave by yourself! _What_?"

"What's going on?" asked Harry in concern. The Doctor seemed quite agitated.

"The TARDIS is leaving, _by itself!_"

"WHAT?" all three yelled.

"That's what I've been saying!" he shouted, and then the TARDIS started shaking like an earthquake.

**Thanks to my sole reviewer, clhpfan12341234567. Had to copy and paste that name. Thanks also to all who added me to Alerts. Feel free to leave a review :) Geronimo!**

**Americanathogwarts**

**P.S. This is the 10th doctor by the way :)**


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor braced one red trainer against the controls as he struggled to regain control of the TARDIS. "Where are you taking us?" he muttered to his ship. He glanced over at Harry and Ron, who were struggling to stay upright, and Hermione, who was holding onto the railing and staring openmouthed at the TARDIS mechanisms with a look of absolute wonder on her face. In spite of his frustration, he grinned. They were just like they were described in the books. How wonderfully improbable.

The TARDIS slammed into solid ground. Everyone but the Doctor fell over. He stood lost in thought for a moment, pondering what in the name of sanity was happening. Meeting fictional heroes, the TARDIS deciding to act like a rebellious teenage human girl, and the unknown right outside his door...Speaking of which.

"Right then! Off we go!" he said excitedly. He grabbed his brown duster from off one of the coral formations. "What're you all doing on the ground?"

"Putting my teeth back in," moaned Ron. "For an intergalatic space bloke, you have very uncomfortable means of travelling."

"Oh, boo-hoo! There's a great big beautiful tomorrow right outside, and you're napping! I thought gingers would have a bit more pep. Maybe they're not all it's cracked up to be."

Ron chose to ignore this. Harry got up and felt for bruises, then checked that his friends were alive. "Let's check it out," Harry said. Although he seemed remarkably calm considering the situation, the Doctor could see the gleam of excitement bubbling inside of him.

"Ah, there's the boy that found the Philosopher's Stone! Allons-y!"

They were greeted by an astonishing sight.

Hundreds of people were gathered in a room that looked like a battlefield. The high-vaulted ceiling frowned down at the wreckage of a golden statue, and water was splashed all over the midnight black floor. Cameras flashed everywhere. People were sobbing, shouting, staring blank eyed into the distance. They looked like people already defeated in battle before the battle has begun.

But they seemed mostly gathered around a central point. In the middle of a circle stood a small, portly, heavily sweating man. "I don't know!" the Doctor heard him shout in frustration. "Blast it, I don't know! Yes, I suppose He's back, you saw him same as I did – "

"Fudge," murmured Ron. "That's Fudge. We're at the Ministry of Magic.

" 'He's back,' " Hermione repeated. "We've gone back in time..."

"To the night Sirius was killed," Harry finished up dully. He looked markedly less excited now. "To the night everyone saw Voldemort return."

Hermione turned to the Doctor. "The TARDIS brought us here for a reason, correct?" He nodded. "Well, let's investigate. Harry, you'll be easily recognized, we have to figure out how to disguise you. Take your glasses off." He drew back.

"No," he said firmly.

Hermione looked confused. "Why not?"

"No," he repeated more firmly. Hermione looked about to press the issue.

"Never mind," the Doctor interrupted. He thought he knew why Harry was reluctant to take off his glasses. "Let's just keep our heads down – "

"Hang on..." Ron rummaged around in his pockets. "I've got just the thing. Eat this." He proffered a skinny strip of chewing gun to Harry.

"No thanks, I don't fancy spearmint," Harry said in confusion.

"No, it's a Mint Mixer. George just developed it, it changes your appearance," Ron said. "I've been helping out in the shop. He gives me the extra merchandise." Harry popped it in his mouth. Within moments, a skinny, ancient man stood before them.

"Ha duh ai luh?" Harry tried.

"I think you lost your teeth, mate," Ron sniggered.

"Dih yuh no ih wuh do thah?"

"What's that?"

"Rah! Dih yuh no ih wuh do thah*?" Harry repeated.

Ron stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it around. "Didn't catch that, oldtimer." The Doctor could see Harry growing irritated.

He said hastily, "Let's investigate," and led the way. They tried to sneak around to an elevator, but were stopped by a security guard.

"Sorry, sir, I'm going to need identification."

"Ah, yes, of course. Wait just a _millisecond_ – " He rummaged around in his coat. "Here we are!" He beamed and handed the man a blank sheet of paper.

The man nearly choked and his eyes widened. "Please, sir, go right ahead. My mistake."

"Oh, it's no problem...er...Crowley!" The Doctor checked his nametag. "Doing a bangup job, just remember not to let the Nargles bite and maybe check your fly." They left the guard struggling with his zipper and stepped into the elevator.

"Department of Mysteries, now that sounds promising," the Doctor murmured. "Hope it's not a misnomer, it only deserves that name if it contains a malfunctioning TARDIS or three mysterious wizards." He glanced at the Golden Trio, still marveling.

"Or a madman with a time-twisting blue box," Hermione said lightly. He chuckled.

"Hermione Granger, you and I are going to get along splendidly." He looked around at them. "We all are! A Time Lord and three bushytailed young magicians, what could go wrong?"

Just then a torturous scream echoed up into the elevator shaft.

***Translation: How do I look? Did you know it would do that? Ron, did you know it would do that?**

**Thanks for the reviews and follows! This was a bit of a connection chapter, but the real exciting bit's coming next chapter. Brace yourselves ;)**

**My love for you may seem small on the outside. But it's bigger on the inside.**

**Leave me a review please :) **


	4. Chapter 4

The minute they reached the bottom of the elevator shaft the Doctor was off running. He couldn't bear to hear someone in pain and was determined to help them. The Golden Trio wasn't far behind.

He turned a corner so fast that Ron went skidding past it, and the elderly Harry and Hermione slammed into him. They fell in a heap on the ground. "Why are you on the ground again?" the Doctor shouted over his shoulder.

"Because you're a bloody maniac, that's why," muttered Ron.

They ran after him into a large, dark, circular room with many doors. It spun around so fast that they couldn't even tell which door they'd come in from. The Doctor ran a hand anxiously through his brown hair. "We don't have time for this," he muttered. He whipped a strange device out of his pocket and pointed it at the doors, which stopped revolving immediately. One swung open quietly.

"This way," the Doctor said.

"Is that a wand?" Hermione asked curiously.  
"Sonic screwdriver," he said tersely. "Like a screwdriver, but sonic."  
"That's illuminating."

He didn't reply, but charged on through the door. They followed. They were in a dimly lit room, and it took them a moment to see what was there. It took a good deal more time to process it.

Clocks of every shape, size, color, and kind were ticking away ominously on the walls. They covered the room from ceiling to floor. The room was circular, and looking up Harry saw numerals and hands painted on the ceiling, like a clock. Glass covered the floor like delicate, transparent grass. A huge bell jar had shattered. A tiny baby bird, halfway through adolescence, lay squeaking feebly among the wreckage. A huge glass display case in the front of the room also lay in shards. Scattered around its base were gleams of gold and, curiously enough, sand. The entire room shimmered in a disorienting way. But most remarkable of all were the people.

Clothed in black, hooded and masked, they strained at invisible bonds fruitlessly, writhing on the ground. They seemed trapped. Most had various injuries. One of them was splayed on the ground, flailing his arms. He was grotesque, with a huge man's body and a tiny baby's head. He whimpered and moaned. It seemed it was he who had screamed earlier.

"Death Eaters," breathed Hermione. "After Dumbledore captured them, didn't he say he left them in the Department of Mysteries?" She edged forward cautiously and reached her hand out. Suddenly there were two Hermiones: one facing them and one facing the Death Eaters. The one facing them had a hand on the invisible barrier, and she looked horrified.

With a sudden pop, the Hermione facing away from them disappeared. Now there was just the new Hermione, the one behind the barrier.

"I don't know! I don't know!" she shrieked.

"Hermione!" roared Ron, and lunged for her. The Doctor's arm came up and stopped him.

"Don't touch the barrier!" he cried.

Ron turned on him. "Are you _mad – "_

"You'll end up trapped, same as her, and no one will be able to help her."

Ron gazed at her hopelessly. "Hermione, what's going on?"

"No, don't touch it!" she screamed.

"I won't," he said in confusion. "We're gonna get you out, 'Mione!"

Then with a pop, another Ron appeared next to her. He embraced Hermione, and she shoved him away. "I told you not to touch it!"

The Ron outside the barrier looked mystified. But Harry saw dawning comprehension on the Doctor's face. "I think – " he began.

"Come on then, let's go," Hermione gestured to Ron. He stared at her and the other Ron next to her.

"You want me to come in?" he said in extreme confusion.  
She paused as if listening. "Yes."

Without further hesitation he touched the barrier – and disappeared like the other Hermione.

"Why does no one listen to me?" the Doctor muttered. "Why in the name of Rassilon's sacred pantyhose...Oh don't mind me, just a nine-hundred-year-old-Timelord with the knowledge of the Universe, don't listen to me, I don't know anything..."

"Dah-er!" Harry said frantically. He inwardly cursed his lack of gums. "Wha do we do?!"

The Doctor gestured in frustration at the barrier. "They seem to have jumped forward a little in time. See, Hermione replies, but it's to something we haven't said yet. She told Ron not to touch it before he actually had, remember? Since she's ahead in time, he had already touched it. I think – "

"It _must_ be because of the Time-Turners!" Hermione said.

"Oh, right!" Ron recalled. "The entire store of them got smashed when we were dueling that lot." He jerked a thumb at the incapacitated Death Eaters behind them.

"Yes, you see, Harry?" the Doctor said. "I was about to say that I think something disturbed Time so that everything from this barrier on is a few seconds ahead. If the Time-Turners caused a big enough ripple when they smashed..." He nodded. "That would do the trick. Hermione was answering the thought I just voiced. And when she said 'Come on then,' I think she was telling us to figure this out faster."

"Ha do we geh theh ouh?"

"I don't know how we'll get them out," said the Doctor. "Not yet at least. But at least we know the Death Eaters can't hurt them. They seem restrained on the ground. And no one's getting in there to hurt them either."

Then a form arose from the ground. Like the Death Eaters, it was cloaked in black. But this man had a kindly, tired, old face. His eyes were blank. He was blind.

"Hello?" he called. "Is someone there?"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Yes," Hermione said. "Who are you?"

He sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Godric!" he cried. "I thought I'd be here forever! I'm Septimus Croaker, Unspeakable. And unseeable," he joked feebly, pointing at his sightless eyes. "Are you here to get me out?"

"I'm afraid not," Hermione said gently. "We're trapped too, you see. I'm sorry."

"How long have you been here?" asked Ron.

"I don't know," said Croaker sadly. "Time starts to lose meaning in here. Can't you feel it?"

Ron looked at Hermione. She turned her eyes to his face, looking unnerved. "Mione," he said slowly. "How long have we been in here?"

"I don't remember," she breathed shakily. "I don't know."

Augustus sighed again, this time in defeat. "And you try to remember, and you can't. You forget all sorts of things. I wasn't alone when I came in, but I can't remember who else was with me..." he trailed off.

"What did he look like?" Hermione tried to help.

"Who?"

"The man who came in with you."

He frowned. "Someone came in with me?"

"You just told us so!" squeaked Hermione.

He shook his head. "I don't think...no, I was alone. Most definitely alone."

Hermione took a sharp intake of air and grabbed Ron's hand. "Ron, you remember me, right?"

"Of course I do," he said reassuringly. "You're not gone. You're still here. Croaker's companion's not here in front of him, so he forgot him. But we're both here." He turned to Harry and the Doctor. "Okay," and touched the shimmering barrier.

"Touch the barrier," the Doctor said. Nothing happened. Ron tapped it with his wand. "Okay. Ron, tap it with your wand." Again, nothing happened.

"I'll say," replied Ron morosely.

"Well, that didn't work," the Doctor muttered. "Okay, he just replied to something I hadn't said yet. This is getting annoying."

Abruptly, Croaker swung around and faced the wall. "Listen to the music," he murmured.

Hermione and Ron listened. "I don't hear it," said Hermione.

A glowing golden crack appeared in the clock-covered wall. It seemed as though there was a bright light coming from just behind it, and the crack was merely a hint of the glory lurking on the other side.

"I hear it too," Ron breathed. He and Croaker moved forward, but Hermione held him back.

"Ron," she said nervously. "There's no music."

Croaker moved on. His hands were extended before him. "I found it!" he cried exultantly. "The way out!" He walked stiffly forward as if embracing the light. In response, the light grew around him, brighter and bigger and stronger until he was a black dot. It swallowed him and then diminished into a pulsing glow again.

Ron strained forward. "The way out! C'mon, Mione, he found it! Let's go!" he shouted. "Why are you trying to stay!?"

"Ron!"she cried. "I can't hold him!" she shouted over her shoulder. "I'm trying, I'm trying!"

"Hold him!" shouted the Doctor. 'Don't let him go!"

But although Hermione dug her heels into the ground, Ron dragged them forward towards the light. It pulsed bigger in welcome. "The music!" Ron cried. "Can't you hear it?" He seemed like a man possessed. Without even looking down he took out his wand and said "_Relashio_!" Hermione was pushed away from him by an invisible force, and he staggered into the light.

"Ron!" she screamed.

He was a black dot.

"_Ron!_"

The light pulsed smaller and smaller.

"NO!"

He was gone.

**Cliffhanger alert.**

**Thanks for the reviews! Leave me some more, they just make my day!**

**~ Hogwartsharpist**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's another short chapter. Took me Rassilon's own time to write, though. Enjoy:)**

Hermione shrieked and pounded a fist against the wall, where just a moment ago Ron had disappeared. "Ronald Weasley! Get back here NOW! RON!"

Without thinking, Harry charged through the shimmering time barrier. He heard the Doctor's shout behind him – "Harry! No!" and then an immense crackingsound. He reached Hermione's side and turned back to see the time barrier shatter into a million rainbow fragments. The Doctor ducked, but the pieces hung suspended in midair as if hung from a mobile. They glittered innocently in the dim light.

Harry turned his back on them, realizing vaguely as he did that his joints no longer creaked with arthritis. He was back at his normal age. "Hermione," he said gently. Hermione was sobbing in shock at the base of the wall. Harry gently put his arms around her. "Hermione, we're going to find him."

"How?" she sobbed. "He just disappeared! No Apparition, no Portkey, nothing! It's not possible!"

"Hermione, you're a _witch_. According to the Muggle world, that isn't possible," Harry told her. "Of course we'll find Ron."

The Doctor added from behind them. "If I could examine the wall, there ought to be some sort of trace left behind. That was a very strong teleportation signal – it's bound to have left some residue." He knelt beside them and fiddled with his sonic screwdriver. After a minute, he examined it and frowned.

"Not teleportation," he muttered. "Something else, something much bigger. Something _huge_." He looked at Harry and Hermione. "The crack is still there, it's just not visible. And it's widening. As if someone, or something, has ripped a huge hole in time..."

"The Time-Turners getting smashed," Hermione said. She sounded as if she had a bad headcold. She pulled herself to her feet. "They must have something to do with the crack. And you said there was a huge disturbance in time. Could it be the crack?"

"That and this time barrier," the Doctor said. He got to his feet and strode over to the suspended fragments. "I think the crack and the barrier were made of the same material – pure time substance, made corporeal. And if I'm right, and of course I am, the barrier was created by that crack in time." He started pacing restlessly. "When the crack was made, the fragments shattered _out_ –" he gestured at the room – "and coalesced to form the barrier. Oh, but that's not all! Oh, no!" His pace increased. His voice rose and he grew even more restless. "Somehow, Harry shattered the barrier, not sure how, and the pieces are suspended in the continuum, and since they're fragments of the crack that means they still have a connection to it! And if you happen to be clever like me you know that with the proper sonic device – " he whipped out his screwdriver – "and a time-traveling blue box, you can trace that connection to its last destination! And fortunately, I am clever like me...so here goes..." He pointed the sonic device at one of the time fragments, which began to shudder as if caught in the wind. A high pitched keening filled the room, beautiful but disturbing, and the pressure in the room grew heavier.

Suddenly, the fragment the Doctor was aiming at ballooned in size. It was as if they were watching a video. Harry could see strange animals swimming in starlit skies. There were images of brutal wars and a huge red mountain. The image unfocused for a moment, then suddenly zoomed in on a face. It was Ron. He looked shocked, and though he was yelling something they were unable to hear him.

Hermione gasped beside Harry. "Ron!" She stepped up beside the Doctor. "Where is he?"

Harry joined her.

"Doctor," he said urgently. " Can you tell where he is? Can you trace the signal?"

The Doctor's face was furrowed in concentration. "It's being tricky," he muttered as he fiddled with the screwdriver. "Can't seem to focus. It's as if the place Ron's at is invisible to sonic waves – like a stealth plane is invisible to radar." He tapped the short stick. "Work, you blasted thing!"

"Wait," Hermione said. She took out her wand. "_Amplifico!_"

The screwdriver gave a mechanical screech, making Harry wince and cover his ears, and suddenly the image in front of them zoomed out. They could still see Ron wandering around, but now they could see his surroundings. Red grass was waving beneath an amber sky. Shining snowcapped silver mountains rose behind him, and a peculiar bubble-like structure, full of what looked like buildings, could be seen in the distance. The whole scene had an eerie, alien like feel.

Hermione stepped up to the image and put a hand to it tentatively. It passed through the time fragment like shadow on water. "Ron," she said softly. "Doctor, do you know where this place is? It's obviously not Earth." The Doctor didn't answer. She and Harry looked over at him. "Doctor?"

The Doctor's face was frozen, brown eyes wide, in a state of shock. He stared at the alien world with unadulterated astonishment. He opened his mouth, closed it, and swallowed. His sonic screwdriver dropped from nerveless fingers onto the ground.

"Doctor!" Harry shook his shoulder. He turned to stare at Harry, but his eyes went straight through him, unseeing, as if gazing at a different universe. "Doctor, _where is Ron?_"

"That's impossible," the Doctor choked out.

"What?"

"That place, it's gone. It doesn't exist."

"What place?" Hermione shouted, her voice echoing off the stone walls, filled with tension and fear.

"Gallifrey," the Doctor managed. "Gallifrey. The home of the Time Lords."

**Gallifrey. Wish I could have a summer home there...of course if it was an option my full time home would be Hogwarts :) So? Thoughts? Pleeeeeeeeeease review! With a cherry on top. Love ya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I wish I owned a unicorn guys**

**a flying unicorn**

**and I wish I could give one to all of you**

**cause then it would be a younicorn**

**hehe**

**Okay I'm tired**

**please review and I'll send you a younicorn**

The Doctor was only vaguely aware of Harry and Hermione struggling to keep up behind him as he ran down the hallway.

_Gallifrey._

The image had been so real he was almost able to touch it. The closest he had been able to get to his former home, before now, had been his dreams. But in his dreams the silver mountains were black with smoke, the orange domes cracked. The planet was in ruins. Seeing it like it used to be...perfect, lovely, _home_...

It was torture.

He reached the TARDIS, wrenched open the door, and dashed inside, straight for the controls. His mind was spinning with the image of Gallifrey, and Ron Weasley staggering in shock on its fields. _How did he get there _? _How could Ronald Weasley possibly be in Gallifrey, when I can't go home ?_

With a crank, a beep and a tug, the TARDIS started to rumble.

"Doctor!" Harry yelled desperately. "Where are we going?" The Doctor barely noticed. Harry started to make his way over to him, but stumbled as the TARDIS began to shake like a ship on stormy seas. "Doctor!"

Hermione clung to Harry as the TARDIS crashed around. Sparks flew. The Doctor roared in frustration as he braced one red-Convers-clad shoe against the console. "We aren't getting through! Something's blocking us!"

The TARDIS careened to one side, then crashed against something that made its wood screech. "We aren't getting through WHAT?" Hermione screamed.

"Gallifrey's time locked! No one should be able to get through, but somehow Ron did!" The Doctor shouted back. "And if he did maybe we can too!"

But the TARDIS seemed to disagree. With a mighty groan and a shudder, it hit something and flipped completely upside down. The Doctor crashed into the domed ceiling. Harry and Hermione were left grasping the railing, suspended in empty air. A shrieking whine strained from the TARDIS engines. The Doctor tried to scuttle along the ceiling back to the controls, when all of a sudden the TARDIS slammed into something solid and stopped moving.

All three blacked out.

**Badumpshadoopdadowa**

The Doctor came to, groggy and disoriented. He blinked. The TARDIS was still upside down. All the lights were out. She whined painfully.

"No, shhh, it's alright," he whispered to his darkened TARDIS. "We'll fix you up. But where are we?"

Something rustled beside him. "Doctor?" came Hermione's voice. "Is that you? What happened?"

"We've crashed," he answered. "Not sure where, and the TARDIS is badly damaged. Where's Harry?" Hermione started moving around blindly.

"Harry?"

The Doctor fumbled in his trench coat. "Here." The sonic screwdriver lit up, and the Doctor saw Hermione's pale, worried face looking over at him.

"I think he's over here. He won't wake up."

The Doctor crawled across the domed ceiling over to Hermione. Slumped before her, apparently unconscious, was Harry. As the Doctor moved the sonic screwdriver's light over his face, he saw a dark liquid trickling down Harry's temples.

"That doesn't look good," he said uneasily. "Anything you can do, Hermione?"

"I don't dare," she said anxiously. "Not until I know what the injury is."

The Doctor thought a moment. "Let's see where we are, at least. Maybe we can get some help." He climbed over to the TARDIS door and pushed at it. It was stuck.

"Here, let me," Hermione said. "_Alohomora._" They heard the click of the lock, but the door remained closed.

"Something's keeping it closed," the Doctor said.

All of a sudden the TARDIS pulled upwards. Without sight, it was the same feeling as an elevator ascending. The upward force stopped, and the TARDIS gently lowered – still upside down – onto the ground.

"What?" The Doctor muttered.

The door swung open, and sunlight filtered in. Hermione and the Doctor blinked.

"Hello? Anyone there?" a voice called.

"Wand at the ready," The Doctor hissed at Hermione. He edged towards the door.

"We come in peace," he called, unfolding himself out of the damaged door. The TARDIS had crashed upside down into a wide field bordering an imposing forest. Standing before him were four figures: a statuesque, brunette woman, a woman with round red cheeks, a man with a pointy black beard, and a man with long, flowing red hair and an ominous-looking sword at his side.. They were dressed in simple red robes. And all four were pointing a wand at him. He cautiously raised his hands.

"Hermione! It's more of your lot!" he called over his shoulder.

Hermione scrambled out behind him, wand held in front of her. "Whoare you?" she demanded. She searched their faces. "Are you wizards?"

"The question, young witch, is who are _you?" _said the black bearded man aggressively. "And who is your companion? What strange box is this, that contains such wonderful size within?"

"Hermione, the Doctor, the TARDIS, and everyone says that," the Doctor rattled off cheerily. "We happened to drop in, hope we didn't land in your shrubbery, and can you help our friend? He's hurt. What a nice sword!"

The brunette woman blinked.

The redhaired man stepped forward. "Charmed, Lady Hermione and Doctor. You landed on my new roses, but that is no issue. Helga here is skilled with healing; perhaps she can assist your friend. And thank you! Goblin made."

The Doctor laughed. "Finally! Someone who can keep up! Hermione, help me get Harry." He made as if to duck inside the TARDIS, but the black bearded man stepped forward with a snarl. "Do not move, strange one. We have many questions."

"Well, my favorite color's blue, I like kittens and adore Italian food. Does that clear anything up?"

The bearded man bared his teeth and raised his wand, but the man with the sword put a hand on his arm. "Enough, Salazar. Let them help their friend."

The Doctor heard a sharp intake of breath from Hermione. "_Salazar?_" she breathed. "Salazar Slytherin?"

The man looked wary. "At your service," he said, though he looked anything but.

Hermione looked as if she'd had the breath knocked out of her. "Helga," she said frantically. "Helga Hufflepuff?" The short woman smiled confusedly.

"That is my name," she said.

"Rowena Ravenclaw," Hermione said excitedly turning to the tall black-haired woman. She inclined her head gravely.

"And...are you Godric? Godric Gryffindor?"

The red-haired man laughed. "You seem to have all the answers, Lady Hermione," he chuckled. "Without even asking the questions."

The Doctor stared at him. "Well, this is marvelous!" he exclaimed rapturously. "The four founders! Blimey, Godric – euh, that's a bit cumbersome, can I call you Goddy? Rick? Gryff? Yeah, Gryff! You even look like a lion! And the sword – by Rassilon, it's _the sword _of Gryffindor! That one'll cut off a few heads in its time – "

Hermione interrupted, although she still looked shell-shocked. "Doctor, Harry needs help."

"Oh, right."

They hurried inside the TARDIS. Harry had not moved, and even in the late sunlight he looked abnormally pale. Hermione lifted her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa." Harry rose into the air. Hermione floated him outside.

"Oh dear," said Helga Hufflepuff in concern. "We'd better get him to the infirmary immediately, he doesn't look good..."

"I'd say blood coursing down his temple qualifies as not good – " Godric started, then stopped at the stern look on Rowena Ravenclaw's face.

Helga pulled out a wand and twitched Harry to float alongside her. She hurried towards a clearing in the nearby forest, where the Doctor could see a few tents set up. He and Hermione started to follow her and Harry.

"Not you," came a menacing voice.

**Thanks to all the darling cupcakes who reviewed and followed last chapter. I outlined pretty much the whole story yesterday...This girl is on Fiyaaaahhh!**

**Obviously I need sleep and hugs**

**nah I think I'll go on tumblr and cry about all the gentlemen I can't have and all the 'ships that aren't going to happen**

**G'night. Please review :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back!:D hopefully you all haven't disappeared. I've finally outlined the entire story. Really excited. It's all coming together!**

The Doctor paused at the sound of Slytherin's voice. "Say that again, Sally?" he said lightly. In truth, he was anxious to get moving. Harry was pale from blood loss, he couldn't wait to see how Helga would heal him and there was a _whole new world_, a new fantastic point of view – no, wait, wrong fictional universe.

"Not you. You and your companion coming with me," hissed Salazar sibilantly. How could one hiss when there were no _S'_s in that sentence? The Doctor resolved to find out sometime.

"No one to tell us no, or where to go," he sang. To his immense gratification, Salazar looked even more rancorous. He swept across the carpet of dead leaves, cloak scratching an ominous autumn symphony, until he was unnervingly close to the Doctor. He poked him in the chest.

"I don't think," he snarled, "that you quite comprehend the gravity of your situation. You mysteriously appear out of thin air in a magic box, wandless, yet you understand all of our secrets and expect to be initiated into our most sacred of dwellings! I, for one, have a few questions! Who are you, why are you here, and why do you look so very familiar – "

"Step away from me," the Doctor enunciated very carefully. Slytherin met his eyes challengingly, which just a moment ago had been a friendly brown. Now they were black as night. "Do not presume totouch me again. I need no wand to take your life from you, Salazar Slytherin." He leaned over the smaller man, who hastily stepped back. The Doctor felt a little silly saying those words, especially since he was certain Slytherin could kill him with two words and a flick of the wrist, but he hoped he'd made a point. Slytherin's reputation from the novels was too menacing to ignore. He hoped bravado would be a strong enough safeguard. "I am older and far, far more powerful than you could ever be. You cannot hope to challenge me." He lowered his voice dramatically. "_So don't even try._" He took a slow step forward, and Slytherin scrambled back. He tripped on his red serpent's-tail robe and then scrambled past the Doctor after Hufflepuff. After a safe distance he looked back and slowed to a dignified walk.

The Doctor strung a long arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Well, that was fun," he said cheerfully. She looked startled. "Not every day you get to threaten one of the most powerful wizards in existence and not have a single nosehair harmed."

She giggled. "You were quite imposing. I actually believed for a moment that you could kill him without a second thought."

"And who says I couldn't, Hermione Granger?" He wagged a finger at her. "Never underestimate a bloke in a trenchcoat. If you learn nothing else from time travelling, I hope you learn that." Her giggles became laughs as they strode up the green path into the forest.

**Heylookyit'salinebreak**

They caught up to Helga in a mossy little clearing. Slytherin was nowhere to be seen, but the ground was dominated by five stately white barracks. They were simple, constructed of cloth and sticks, large enough for perhaps ten people, and temporary looking. Each had a different sigil on it: a lion, an eagle, a serpent, a badger and a wolf. The Doctor recognized the first four as the symbols of the four Houses, but the wolf was unfamiliar to him. The tent with that insignia was half dissassembled.

He and Hermione hurried over to the tent with the badger on it, where they could see Helga inside bending over Harry. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling, outlined by a friendly yellow firelight. Comfortably fat armchairs dotted the dirt floor. A cauldron emanated earthy scents. In the corner, a simple bookshelf contained impressive looking tomes.

Helga's lips moved soundlessly. All of a sudden Harry sat up. "Whuzzah – " he muttered, bleary eyed. The breath was knocked out of him as Hermione hugged him fiercely.

"Thank Merlin," she said in relief. The Doctor was a little surprised to see a tear coursing down her face. He realized that with Ron gone, Harry was her only friend left who understood what she was going through. Hermione sat back and hurriedly wiped her face.

"What did I miss?" Harry asked sleepily.

The Doctor laughed a little. "Harry, meet Helga Hufflepuff. She just rid you of a very nasty headache." Harry froze in surprise, staring at the round, redclad figure bustling about the tent.

"We went back in time!" Hermione explained excitedly. "And Harry, they're all here! All the founders! And Gryffindor had the _sword_!"

"Oh, and I threatened Slytherin," inserted the Doctor casually. Helga looked alarmed.

"He'll have your head and family jewels for that, he will," she muttered. "Sally doesn't take kindly to being put in his place."

"Ah, so Sally _is_ his nickname!" cried the Doctor delightedly. "Thought it had a nice ring."

Shaking her head, Helga left the tent. The Doctor left Hermione to her wild explanations and Harry to his silent mouthing and followed her. "Where are we going?" he asked happily. Somewhere exciting, he hoped.

"I," said Helga, "am off to speak with Godric and Rowena in private. You are going to stay right here." She fixed him with a stern look, obviously sizing him up as a troublemaker.

_Probably Jackie Tyler's great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother or something. _Her voice had the same commanding, maternal tone. He struck a salute. "Yes, ma'am!" She looked confused at the gesture, but turned and continued forward all the same. The Doctor waited till she was out of sight. He had a few questions. One of Salazar's comments was burning in his head: _why do you look so familiar?_ He meant to find out the answer

The Doctor padded over to the nearest tent, which was Ravenclaw's judging by the eagle. He peeked inside. The tent was dark. The cold, sharp smells of mint and pine stung the air. The only light came from small glowing points of light on the sloping roof of the barrack. As the Doctor studied them, he realized they were constellations. They were so bright he could read the small letters of the books all around him. There were far more books than in Helga's tent, although the atmosphere was much less friendly. A spartan bed occupied the corner. His attention was caught by a small object that looked like it had been quickly hidden under the bed. Only the tip was peeking out. He moved towards it and pulled it out a little. It was a moderately-sized velvet case, splashed with the silver image of a delicate crown across the top.

"The diadem," he said softly. It was likely protected by Anti-Theft charms, so he regretfully replaced it, unopened, under the bed.

Leaving Rowena's tent, he moved towards the one painted over with a silver serpent, only to hesitate when he detected a voice. The spirant syllables were certainly Slytherin's. He seemed to have been waiting for Helga to leave, for the Doctor had not heard him earlier.

Well, this was an intriguing development.

The Doctor crept forward silently. He was barely able to make out the murmurs, but he caught most of it.

"_My lord, he threatened me! Me! Wandless, he dared threaten me. He has some form of concealed power."_

There was an answer. The voice was so deep and low that it thrummed in the Doctor chest. His two hearts slowed. He could not perceive the words.

_"He called himself...Doctor." _Slytherin pronounced the unfamiliar word carefully. _"The girl was Her my nee, the boy was Harry – "_

His words were drowned out by a concussive roar. It was powerful, yet quiet enough that it would not carry past the Doctor, almost as if someone had turned down the volume. And hearing it, the Doctor felt himself shiver. It was a sound filled with something more than rage, something impossibly old and frustrated beyond comprehension.

It was like the sound the Doctor had heard as he closed the time-lock on his own race, the sound of a million voices crying for his blood, for mercy, for help. A sound of utter despair. A sound of unutterable rage. His body rang with it. He tried to slough it off, but a sense of familiar, inescapable dread had settled on him. He attempted to focus on the rest of Salazar's conversation.

_"...did not know! My lord, what am I to do in your stead?"_

A rumbling voice.

_"But the creature is not yet prepared! I have only half driven it to madness. What if it should turn on me, instead of the interlopers?"_

A reply.

_"Y-yes, my lord," _came Salazar's agonized reply. _"Of course I am ready to do whatsoever you require. You may depend on me..."_

The Doctor did not hear the rest of the conversation. He quietly stole away from the tent and dashed up the path where Helga had disappeared.

**dundundunnnlinebreak**

He burst out of the line of trees onto the shore of a slate-grey lake. Stopping to catch his breath, he took in his surroundings. Growly looking sky. Troubled waters. And across the lake were the foundations of a monolithic building.

The Doctor's eyes widened. The lake. The Forest. The building must be Hogwarts, as it looked in the early days of its formation!

"Incredible," he breathed. What he wouldn't give to see Hogwarts finished. Maybe another day, when a homicidal all-powerful wizard wasn't pledging his own life to kill the Doctor. Ah well.

Looking around some more, he spotted bright red robes a little ways down the shoreline. Helga, Godric and Rowena were deep in conversation, punctuated by angry gestures and occasional shouting, which he could hear as he got closer.

"...care not what that thrice-befouled tiara whispered in your ear!" shouted Gryffindor. "Sal is a loyal friend, he always has been, and what is more – "

"What is more," pushed in Helga anxiously, "is that our dear friend has been secretive, more than ever, and Rowena heard him muttering in his tent at night."

"I mutter," said Godric defensively. "I even walk around once in a while."

"Yes, but he was talking _to _someone, and – " She cut off as she saw the Doctor hurrying over. "Yes Doctor? Is Harry recovered fully?"

"Yes, he's fine," panted the Doctor. "Listen, I think Salazar's got it in for us."

Godric swelled like an angry bantam rooster, Helga looked sad but unsurprised, and Rowena's expression did not change. "What did you hear, Doctor?" she asked calmly.

"He was talking in his tent to some mysterious force," the Doctor explained rapidly. "About how he had driven something to madness and that he was going to set it on me and my companions."

Rowena turned impassively to the other two. "The creature," she said.

Godric muttered rebelliously and turned a distrustful eye on the Doctor. "And why should we believe you?"

"You shouldn't," the Doctor said sadly. Watching Hermione's intense relief at Harry's recovery had thrown Gryffindor and Slytherin's relationship into sharp relief. The first friendship had trust and affection on both sides. In the second, those feelings only came from Gryffindor.

Rowena looked at him closely. Her luminous eyes pierced him like a lantern in the dark. "Let us visit the creature," she decided. "We shall see if it is half-mad, as you claim." Taking hold of the Doctor's arm, she spun around three times.

"What – " began the Doctor, and then the breath was stolen from his mouth as they twisted away. They landed hard on a stone surface. "Apparition," he said excitedly. "Amazing! Like a personal TARDIS, but with less...blue."

"Doctor," Rowena said. "It appears we have to let you into our confidence. Although we have just met, you strike me as a person to trust. I know not why...but your face is familiar to me."

"That's what Sally said."

"And just now, as I was pondering in thought alone in my tent, the diadem whispered to me that you were here to lend us aid."

"The Doctor, here to help!" The Doctor said cheerfully.

She did not blink. "And so, trusting that, I propose to my three companions that we inform him of all that we know." When Helga nodded vigorously and Godric harrumphed, she began her story.

**So. Little details are important. I hope you caught them :) Please please review! I really appreciate it. I've taken so much time to outline and write...I hope it was worth it. Please let me know if there's any way I can improve, or what you liked :) thankssss loves!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks ever so much for the reviews! Get ready to be a little confused. And for some action!**

Rowena began her tale.

"It begins, Doctor, with a mystery that refuses to be solved.

"When I awoke, I was under the stars, lying next to my companions. I was startled to find that I knew nothing of where I was. My cry awakened my companions, and together we attempted to make sense of our sylvan surroundings. There was not a tree or a rock that looked familiar. We were dressed in the peculiar attire of rich scarlet robes and elaborate hats.

"In fact, all we recalled was one thing. Our names... they echoed in our heads like a half remembered melody. Imagine our confusion when we examined our robes, and found simple sticks in the pockets! Long and short, black and white, all had one thing in common: they were warm to the touch, as if they had been lying in the desert sun. Yet the ground on which we lay and the air which we breathed was wintry. We used our mysterious knowledge to construct a basic habitation and a fire. Then we set off in search of other living beings.

"When first they saw us, the people of the nearby village ran in fear...and we realized how strange we must look, in our flowing red robes and cumbersome hats...So we returned to our humble dwellings and changed our attire into the more simple robes you see now, intending to return to reason with the villagers. Hardly had we done so than there was an immense crack, as if thunder itself had reached down to smite the earth, and a figure appeared. He introduced himself as a magician named Hengist. He had heard about the disturbance our presence had caused in the village, and he had come to investigate.

"After hearing our confusing story, and seeing the odd sticks we had discovered in our pockets, Hengist came to the conclusion that all five of us were wizards and witches."

"Five?" interjected the Doctor, roused out of his mesmerized listening. "There are only four houses, I thought?"

Rowena sighed. "There was one other. Ulric. But Ulric has forsaken our company, as part of the sad tale which I am relating. But that is later in the story."

The Doctor remembered the half-disassembled tent bearing the sigil of the wolf. That must have been Ulric's.

Rowena continued. "Over the next two years, he taught us how to manipulate the strange magical force we possessed. We progressed quickly. Our focus was undivided, for we were convinced magic is the art that would reveal the mystery enshrouding us. Soon we developed the skill to do whatever we wished, for the power came naturally to us...thanks mostly to Hengist's expert tutelage.

"Hengist is the heart and soul of the village we had entered into. It is the only village in all of this country that is solely home to Wizardkind. He invited us to live there with him, in his mansion in Hogsmeade - "

Hogsmeade! That was in the books! the Doctor remembered excitedly.

"But we refused. We felt alien, our presence strange among that peaceful village, although all its inhabitants were nothing short of welcoming. Our story carries the aura of foreboding, and we did not want to pass that onto them, so we remain in our lonely tents. But not for long, Doctor. We are sitting in the foundations of what may be the greatest creation of Wizardkind for centuries to come." Her eyes glinted proudly. Behind her, Helga smiled and Godric nodded triumphantly. "Hogwarts. A fortress that can harbor us and any we choose to accept in the study of magic. For we have no home, no family but each other, no wealth or wordly attachment. Nothing, in truth, but our magic-so why not devote our lives to it? It is a mystery greater than we ourselves are."

"In any case, we began the construction of Hogwarts. But no sooner had we laid the cornerstones than yet another mystery occurred." Rowena hesitated for the first time since beginning her story. "It is...difficult to describe, Doctor. Wondrous and terrifying. A hole in the fabric of the universe! A rent through which we can see...everything. When I am finished, we will show it to you...perhaps you can shed some light on this particular enigma.

"When we discovered this strange rip, we also found evidence of some enormous beast. The trail led from the rip into the forest, where we were unable to follow it. But it left a trail of destruction in its wake. Trees slashed to ribbons. The earth churned up. Creatures left pitifully dead.

"Then there appeared to us the image of a woman. She had hair as flame-red as Godric's - "

"-and as acerbic a tongue as Rowena's," mumbled Godric.

"She spoke, but not to us. Spoke words that sounded nonsensical to our ears. Not the language...but the terms." Rowena's silvery eyes bored through him. "Doctor, she spoke of stars and life and mountains raining fire. And something called a psychic paper. Then she flickered away."

The Doctor felt as if the stone floor were falling away underneath him. Donna. The one who had accompanied him through the stars, to the last day of Pompeii. Who was fascinated by and critical of his psychic paper. Whose standoffish attitude belied the unbelievably kind human inside. Whose hair he had always envied. His best mate, before he had had to wipe her mind of him. His mind refused to accept the possibility. He'd tried too hard to convince himself Donna was never coming back...

If it turned out Donna had not returned, if he gave himself false hope, his loneliness would be too much pain to bear.

He stood up quickly, interrupting Rowena as she began to continue. "Show me the rift," he commanded.

**Heyguysreviewsarethebest**

After snagging Harry and Hermione, they, the Doctor, and the Founders, still minus Salazar, set off for the rift. The Doctor gave them the extremely condensed version of Rowena's story.

Hermione was stunned. "So 'A History of Magic' was completely wrong," she said in agitation.

Harry was no less shocked. "If they're not from earth...where are they from?" he muttered. "Doctor, are they from Gallifrey like you?"

The Doctor let out a brief, sharp laugh. "Harry, Gallifrey and Earth are two planets out of an infinite number. They could be from anywhere or anytime. Maybe they _are_ from Earth, just in the wrong time. There's too many possibilities to be sure." He ran long fingers through his messy hair in frustration. "Too many mysteries," he muttered. Normally the potential of that would excite him, but for some reason it unsettled him. Perhaps because of the reminder of Donna.

"This is the place," announced Godric. His translucent green eyes caught the evening sun; he looked uneasy, which seemed an unfamiliar emotion to him. "You see, there is the destruction Rowena spoke of."

The Doctor examined the destruction before him. It looked as if a rampaging herd of Daleks had marched through, so great was the devastation to the forest. But what chilled him was the still bodies of the little creatures. A few feet away, a furry stoat lay unmoving. A little farther was a deer. Animals of all shapes and sizes, including what Hermione identified as an erkling, a moke, and a shrake. Their twisted bodies looked little different from the familiar Terran creatures in their identical rigor mortis.

Helga sniffled. "Poor little things," she whispered. "Not even a chance did they have. Bodies unmarked. It was a magical thing did this to them, make no mistake."

Godric turned from the scenes of death. "The rift is near as well."

They trod on in silence, reaching a low ravine. A gasping stream trickled tenaciously on through the valley of stones.

"Here," Godric said quietly. Harry and Hermione both inhaled sharply.

"It's beautiful," whispered Hermione in awe.

An immense, glowing...the Doctor wasn't sure how to describe. A rip? A hole? It was an empty space, edges luminous. Tendrils of light stretched out from it, shimmering in golden shades. It shone like the sun. Most fascinating were the scenes flickering in the middle. Other worlds. Other times. A pirate ship floating through the stars. An octopus-like creatures with two heads attacking a city. Gleaming white towers. A man holding the body of a child and weeping. Two armies marching on each other in a field of fire. A makeshift raft floating on a silent ocean.

The images lasted less than a second each, but the Doctor could sense a microcosm of eternity behind each. It reminded him a lot of the Untempered Schism young Gallifreyans were forced to stare into, although it was a lot less powerful. _Some would be inspired, some would run away, and some would go mad..._ It was difficult to tear his gaze away. "Harry, Hermione," he hissed. Reluctantly they looked at him. "Don't stare into the rift," he told them. "Stare for too long and you'll go mad." Harry's eyes widened a little behind his glasses. Hermione looked utterly fascinated.

The Doctor turned to the three Founders. "This is where the beast – " he began, then the world exploded around him.

The only sound was a roaring that crashed onto his ears and beat on his body as he was thrown down the ravine. He hit one of the stones and then rolled to a stop, wincing. Above him, a dark shape twisted and screeched as it writhed its way down the ravine. He gradually became aware of horrible, drawn out screaming as his hearing adjusted.

"It's a basilisk!" he heard Harry yell in horror. "Don't look at it!" The Doctor quickly averted his eyes, remembering the killing gaze of the basilisk. All the dead bodies of the animals started to make horrible sense.

"How do we stop it?" the Doctor bellowed. He scrambled back as the shape swung its head towards him and roared. In the light of the rift, he could see its long, lithe body and heavy triangular head.

"Godric! Stab it with the sword!" Harry bawled.

"It's in my tent," Godric bellowed back.

"We have to disapparate!" Rowena cried. The Doctor saw her blurred outline turn, then stumble. "Something is blocking me! My wand is useless!"

_Salazar_, the Doctor realized. The snaky little traitor. He had set the basilisk on them, driven it 'halfway to madness', then blocked them from escaping. He edged out of the way of the basilisk, putting it between him and the rift, so that he saw it clearly in the light for the first time. His hearts beat with recognition as he saw the unique pattern on its hide.

_It's a Roskralchinro_! he realized. His mind churned at warp speed as the thing began slithering nearer. Native to the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius. Sensitive to sound. No wonder the description of the basilisk in _Chamber of Secrets _had reminded him of a Roskralchinro. They were one and the same!

He began to laugh madly at the sheer impossibility. "Make noise!" he bellowed. "As much as you can!" To his relief they did not hesitate.

The serpentine creature roared and shook its wedge-like head in agony at the sudden cacophony of sound. It tried to escape, only to have its way blocked by Rowena, who for all her cold gentility was howling like a one-woman symphony. The basilisk threw its heavy body to the side and fled up the ravine out of sight, keening.

Gryffindor pounded after it, but Helga stopped him. "Let the poor thing go," she advised. "It's half out of it's mind. Someone's been tampering with it, didn't you see the scars all over its back?"

"I was a little busy with the teeth," muttered Godric. "We have to warn Salazar." He started off for camp. Helga followed. Rowena paused by the Doctor and the two teenagers. Her hair was dishevelled, and her eyes still shone with a fierce battle-light.

"To finish," she said, "Ulric forsook us soon after we saw the image of the woman, claiming to have seen her somewhere before. Much as we recognized you, Doctor. I cannot put my finger on it, but your face strikes a chord somewhere deep, deep in my memory..."

With that, she turned and followed Godric and Helga. The Doctor faced Harry and Hermione. "We have to go."

Hermione nodded. "Let's find Ron." Harry put his arm around her in comfort, but far from desperation, she seemed extremely keyed up.

The Doctor nodded. "That too, but listen. That basilisk was...not from around here. It was from a different planet, called Raxa – well, never mind. The point is, how did it get here from there?"

Harry started. "That basilisk. It's the same one I faced. It's probably heading towards the castle, we have to warn them!"

"Never fear. I'm certain our good friend Mr. Salazar will take good care of it," the Doctor said grimly. "He tried to get us killed. Or, rather, his faceless master did." He filled them in about the conversation he had heard. "We need to find out who, why..."

"And we need to find Ron, Doctor," Hermione said anxiously. "That's most important."

The Doctor stopped talking. Of course Ron was most important. He'd gotten so caught up in this mystery that he had almost forgotten the most human element of it. "Of course. So, we know he's on Gallifrey, which is _still _impossible, love that impossibleness – "

"Doctor," Harry said. He was looking beyond him. The Doctor shut his eyes a brief moment. _What now?_

He turned to see the rift. It had stopped fluctuating between images and focused on one single image.

It was Donna Noble's face.

The Doctor was not aware of scrambling towards the rift. He did not remember falling on the rocks of the ravine and cutting his hands open. He did not remember Harry and Hermione's frantic questions.

All he could take in was that Donna Noble was looking at him, saying things that made no sense.

_"No, but isn't that a bit weird? Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders, not really. I mean that's like meeting Charles Dickens, and he's surrounded by ghosts, at Christmas..."_

Then her image disappeared and once again fluctuated to alien scenes. All that was left was his shout of anguish. "_Donnaaa_!"

**Okay so these are the details to remember: Red robes and hats. Ulric's disappearance. The founders only remembering their names.**

**Thanks to: rossaldinho7, lightningstrikesonce, Pikachu79, TR Wexler II, notwritten, and flyinglovegood123 for reviewing. It does mean a lot.**

**Next chappie up soon. Counting down to Rose Tyler's appearance!**

**Please review, darlings. It won't stop me from posting if you don't, but it only takes a second and it really helps a lot.**

**Love,**

**hogwartsharpist**


	9. Chapter 9

**This may be one of the longest chapters I've ever posted. It may not look like much, but it took an eternity to plan and write. Enjoy!**

All Hermione could see were the Doctor's shoulders heaving up and down, as if he were gripped by some great emotion.

"Doctor," she said, "who on earth was that?"

He did not turn. "Donna Noble. She ... used to travel with me."

"Used to?" The Doctor spoke no words but turned to face her. He was breathing heavily, and for a moment she thought she saw his eyes shimmer with unshed tears.

"Nobody lasts for long," he said quietly. Hermione felt a jab of fear.

"Doctor, is she – " He turned swiftly.

"So!" he said in a falsely bright tone. "We've got a great big empty rift here just ripe for the picking. Whatever are we going to do with that, I wonder?"

"What's a rift?" Harry asked curiously.

"A rift! A rift is a...it's difficult to explain actually." He thought for a moment. "Think of

three sheets of paper lying on top of each other. One of them is time, the other is space, and on the very bottom is the vortex. It's not a perfect example, space and time actually weave in and out of each other, neither is dominant. But anyways, the vortex is always running underneath the other two layers, but it never rises to the surface because it's always suffocated by the others." He pushed one hand down with the other and made a swooshing noise. Harry blinked. "So all we normally experience is the time and space layers. But once in a while, those layers wear thin and tear, and we catch a glimpse of the vortex running rampant underneath." He spread his arms wide to encompass

the vortex behind him. "And those rips form rifts."

"And what is the vortex?" questioned Hermione.

He laughed. "Nobody knows! Isn't that wonderful? Nobody has ever gone through it and lived to tell the tale. In fact, on Gallifrey it's part of a young Timelord's initiation process to look into the Vortex."

Hermione was amazed. "Did you?"

"Yes."

"What did you see?"

"I saw everything. Everything that ever was, ever has been, ever will be, ever might be, ever might have been. The whole shibang! But before you ask, I don't remember most of it. Remember the layers?"

Harry and Hermione nodded.

"They reasserted dominance as soon as I stopped looking. Anything about my own timeline or those of people I come in contact with was erased from my mind."

Harry looked as fascinated as Hermione felt. "What did it feel like?"

"Like the flesh was being ripped from my bones, to put it mildly. The Vortex does something

to your body on a molecular level – rearranges it. Even just looking into it can drive you mad."

Hermione thought privately that that was probably true in the Doctor's case.

"Which is why we're going to do a swan-dive straight into it." He must have felt the shock emanating from the two people behind him, because he laughed. It sounded even madder than usual. Hermione wondered if the shock of seeing his former companion's face had driven him a little over the edge. "Sonic, check. Rift, check. Ronald Bilius Weasley – big empty space. So what do we do?"

"Something mad," muttered Harry.

"I will take that as a compliment, Harry!" the Doctor beamed.

"How exactly do you plan on getting us to Gallifrey through the rift?" Harry questioned, a

little apprehensively. "You said the vortex 'ran rampant'."

"And they said Hermione was the smart one," the Doctor said, winking to take the sting out of his words. But Hermione felt a little miffed all the same. "That's where the sonic comes in! I'll use it to focus the vortex stream so that we can go straight to Gallifrey, at the moment when Ron is there."

"Is it safe?"

"Safe-erific!" All three winced. "Yes, well, that sounded better in my head. Safer than safe. Weeeeell, mostly. Weeeeell, maybe ninety percent. Weeeell, sixty. Erm, on a scale of the Titanic to a Swiss vault, it's unsinkable."

Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses. "But the Titanic was unsink-"

"I haven't time for mundane concerns, Harry. It's time for science." The Doctor whipped out his screwdriver and pressed the button, pointing it at the rift and murmering to himself.

Harry edged closer to Hermione. "Is it just me," he muttered, "or does he seem...a little more off his rocker-ish than before?"

"Well, we've only known him for about twenty four hours, so maybe this is normal," whispered Hermione.

Harry sighed. "It's weird. I feel like I've known him before. For some reason I trust him, you know?"

Hermione nodded. She wasn't one to just go with her gut feeling, but she understood what he meant. "Me too. He reminds me of – of Dumbledore. A little insane, but brilliant." But despite that feeling of trust, she couldn't help but replay the Doctor's words in her head. _Nobody lasts for long..._Ron Weasley, the love of her life, was already gone – and she and Harry were about to risk their lives plunging into a mysterious rift in time and space. How long would they last? And she couldn't help but think that perhaps the Doctor had another motive for wanting to get through the rift: he wanted to pursue his lost companion, the mysterious Donna.

"Hermione," the Doctor said over his shoulder, "would you do me the favor of repeating that spell you used earlier? The sonic's having a hard time focusing."

She moved forward and pointed her wand. "_Amplifico_." The odd noise emitting from the screwdriver increased.

The Doctor stared at her wand, fascinated. "Amazing. The properties are so very sonic-like. It seems to enlarge the properties of the up and down quarks. But that's science. Hermione Granger, has it ever occurred to the brightest witch of this age that magic may just be extremely advanced science?"

She smiled. "All the time! The warlock Mopsus discovered distinct proof that the Wingardium spell, for example, simply adjusts gravity to the same level as that of space – "

All of a sudden an unearthly scream split the quiet forest air. The edges of the rift stopped flickering rainbow and turned blood-red; the scenes depicted in the center started shifting faster than ever before until it was nearly impossible to discern a single one clearly.

"This is it!" The Doctor roared. He grabbed their hands."Hold on and pray to Rassilon that we don't get eaten by Vortex Wraiths!"

"Wha – " Hermione started. And then the Doctor leapt forward into oblivion and there was no more sound.  
**(hopefully the linebreak thingy inserted itself. I cannot for the life of me figure out how it works.)**

The Vortex combined the discomfort of Apparition with the disorientation of dreaming.

It felt like being squeezed through a too small tube. There was no oxygen, but Hermione did not need to breathe. There was no space, but she couldn't feel anything around her. She tried to scream. She heard nothing. But there wasn't silence either. There was nothing to see, yet there was no darkness.

_Total sensory deprivation_, she thought in terror.

Then her senses rushed back like the weight of the ocean flooding over her and she gasped. With a start she realized she had heard the sharp intake of air. She was still gripping the Doctor's hand.

"Is this Gallifrey?" she whispered. It felt like they were looking through a window. The view before them was blurry, and the edges shimmered in rainbow hues just as those of the rift had done. It was a richly furnished room covered in ornate wallpaper, with delicate little tables holding fragile-looking artifacts. Bookcases covered the walls. Hermione recognized a few of the titles – written by wizards. They were in a wizarding house, then? An opulent carpet covered the floor, but Hermione could not feel it. When she looked down she was shocked to see that her feet were translucent.

"Are we ghosts?" asked Harry, his voice remarkably steady. Hermione glanced at him and almost shrieked when she saw that he and the Doctor were opaque as fog. Looking down at herself, she saw that she looked identical.

"No," said the Doctor dully. "This is still earth. I failed. And we aren't ghosts. We exist, but it's like we're behind glass, viewing a film. We cannot interfere in whatever happens. And whatever you do, don't touch the glass. It could crack the space/time continuum and send us right back to where we were before." Even excepting his spectral appearance, he looked awful. There was no lively light in his eyes, and his head was lowered.

"Are you all right?"

"Never been through the vortex without my TARDIS before," he mumbled. "I feel awful. Why, how do you feel?"

"My stomach hurts a little, but I'm fine," answered Harry.

The Doctor raised his head incredulously. "You're joking."

Hermione tentatively voiced a thought she'd been nursing almost since they'd climbed aboard the TARDIS. "Doctor, what you said before...I think magic and science are more closely related than people realize. Traveling through the vortex felt just like Apparition. The Time Turners and the TARDIS have obvious similarities. And what you said about wands and the sonic screwdriver having similar properties...maybe that's not just coincidence. Maybe wands are like advanced sonic screwdrivers."

"Well, that explains why the traveling affected me more than you," said the Doctor. "You two are used to traveling through the space continuum exposed. But I don't see how wands and screwdrivers could possibly be related. Sonic technology is too far in Earth's future."

"Just the properties, though," persisted Hermione. "Think about it. The sonic amplifies objects' abilities; the wand amplifies abilities. The sonic can unlock doors and the _Alohomora _charm does the same."

"Wait just a moment," he said excitedly. She could see the earlier enthusiasm he had first exhibited towards magic return. "What was it you said about the Wingardium spell?"

"It changes the field of gravity around an object."

"Exactly. What if it causes a rift in the space layer? Not the time, just the space. What if it changes the area dimensions around the object so that the gravity is not that of earth but that of space?"

She was entranced by the idea. "That could be it. But how would the field of dimension be contained around the object? Nothing else floats around it."

"A protective field. A container of sorts that keeps the magic specific to that one object."

"But how – "

"People," warned Harry.

Hermione looked around. There were indeed people entering the room. Four of them, to be precise.

Five if you counted Donna Noble following them, a look of weary confusion written on her face.

"Doctor," said Harry.

"I see her," said the Doctor. "Donna?" he called softly. She did not acknowledge him, but watched the other occupants of the room with a lost look in her eyes. "She's in a different rift loop," he said wistfully, almost to himself. "Still behind the glass, but in a separate room."

They watched as the four people arranged themselves around one of the lavish tables. On it resided a glass display case with a golden locket and chain. Beside the Doctor, Harry leaned forward.

"Here is the artifact, my lords," said the oldest-looking. "My son will remove it from the display for you."

One of the others, a young man who appeared resentful at being ordered around, tapped the case with his wand. It opened, and the necklace flew into the air like a freed bird. It revolved slowly around the room.

Harry got a funny look on his face. "I know that locket." He met Hermione's eyes, and recognition hit her like a freight train.

"That's Slytherin's locket," she whispered. She felt a phantom weight around her neck as she remembered carrying the loathsome Horcrux around for months. The Doctor twitched in recognition, but his eyes remained fixed on Donna.

"What in the name of Merlin is it doing here?" he cried. "We destroyed the bloody thing months ago – "

The old man continued to speak. "I think you'll find, my lords, that it is a genuine artifact, with Slytherin's clear mark on it. You may examine it for yourselves."

"We shall take your word for it, Mr. Gaunt," said one of the other wizards.

Hermione felt shell-shocked. "Gaunt – "

"Voldemort's ancestors," said Harry.

"Consider the Wizengamot position yours," said the last wizard. "It shall be an honor to have a wizard with so prestigious a bloodline counsel us."

"As well as one with so hefty a purse," added his friend smoothly. He slipped his hand into his robes, and Hermione heard the clink of coins. "Your..._donation_ to the Wizengamot is certainly appreciated."

"Snake," said the Doctor. "Bribery seems to come easily to him – DONNA, NO!"

He shouted the last part and Harry and Hermione cringed as a loud, reverberating crack shook the house. Donna froze with outstretched hand.

"What's happening?" cried Hermione.

"She touched the glass," moaned the Doctor. "Oh, Donna, no!"

Fragments started materializing in the air. Judging by the cries of the four men, they were visible to the material world as well. The air shimmered disconcertingly, and with an ominous sense of deja vu Hermione was reminded of the Department of Mysteries, where the time barrier had shattered. She could see scenes shimmering to life in the fragments, just like in the rift.

The old man gave a sudden scream. One of the time fragments had buried itself in his chest, but instead of blood, golden light spurted out. He fell to the ground. His son shrieked too as he was bathed in the light. The other two wizards ran as the younger Gaunt fell to his knees beside his dying father, apparently heedless of the blinding golden rays now coating him.

One of the fragments zoomed towards Harry, Hermione and the Doctor. Harry shouted and threw his hand out in front of them in protection – and then they were writhing away again through the suffocating vortex.

**Adios and Aloha. That is a wrap! For now.**

**And before you ask, no, Harry is not a Timelord. Neither is Donna. Just the Doctor.**

**Reviewwww! I'll post regardless, but it's like opening a Christmas present every time I get a notification. And it's not just pajamas from my Gran either. It's a bicycle, guys. With a bell and tassels on the handles.**

**Thanks to all the lovelies who reviewed last chapter! I'd love to hit 85 if possible :) **

**love,**

**americanathogwarts**


	10. Chapter 10

**Last chapter concluded with the team (Doctor, Harry and Hermione) trying to use a rift they found to get to Ron, who is stranded on Gallifrey. But instead, they were jerked around time and space, eventually getting trapped behind a 'window' of vortex energy. From behind this window, they saw some of Voldemort's ancestors (the Gaunts), as well as a projection of Donna Noble. Donna touches the 'window' in front of her, disrupting the vortex energy, and making it shatter outward. It fatally pierces the eldest Gaunt and infuses the younger with vortex energy. When one of the fragments flys towards Harry, Hermione and the Doctor, Harry throws out his hand to protect them and they are once again whisked away through the vortex.**

**Onward:) Thanks for all the reviews!**

_ Hermione said it reminded her of apparition_, thought Harry, _but it feels more like a Portkey_. Spiraling through the vortex had the same wrenching feeling around his navel. It wasn't pain, but it was uncomfortable to the point of distraction. Bright lights danced behind his eyes.

Then his feet slammed into the ground and he crumpled like a house of cards. Hermione and the Doctor collapsed onto the dusty surface beside him. All three rolled on their backs, catching their breath.

"What...was..._that?_" gasped Hermione.

"The joys of vortex travel, I thought you'd be used to it by now," sniped the Doctor, puffing in air.

"I meant why did we go so suddenly?"

"Vortex energy is unpredictable," said the Doctor, eyes closed, although he was frowning slightly. "Although it was extremely sudden. We should have been safe behind the Vortex barrier. We seem to be out from behind the 'glass' now."

"Where are we?" Harry sat up and looked around at the landscape. It was absolutely beautiful...and utterly unearthly. Two large suns gleamed orange in the sky, turning the ground to a liquid amber color. Far in the distance, a forest rose up, capped with lovely silver leaves. Red grass spotted the soil infrequently. Majestic mountains pierced the orange atmosphere above them, ringing about in a canyon.

And most alien of all was the city before them.

Harry's first ludicrous thought was that it looked like a snowglobe. A huge transparent bubble encased the linear towers, which stood erect like mythical Titans. One monolithic tower reigned supreme in the center, almost touching the top of the enormous bubble. It reached so high that if there had been clouds inside the glassine globe, it would have been obscured. The largest tower was surrounded by smaller towers, which Harry guessed to be almost twice as tall as the highest point of Hogwarts. The sheer size of the city took his breath away. If they took ten steps forward, they could reach out and touch the crystalline enclosure.

"This is Gallifrey," Harry said. It wasn't a question. The towers, the mountains, the forest...they had seen all of it in the shard that the Doctor had found Ron in.

"This is Gallifrey," whispered the Doctor in confirmation. He looked like he might fall over, and Harry didn't think it was only due to traveling sickness. He was pale, as if with fright...but he didn't seem scared...

"Doctor, what – " Harry began, but was interrupted.

Like a small mouth, a hole had opened seamlessly in the smooth glasslike structure, directly in front of them. A dozen figures, clad in bright red and wearing elaborate headdresses, poured out. They were pointing beautifully crafted objects at Harry, Hermione and the Doctor and shouting something.

"What are they saying?" asked Hermione frantically.

"Not good, oh, not good," muttered the Doctor, now whiter than a sheet. "They want to know why we damaged the Citadel...Look at the crack in the globe!"

Harry looked up and saw a gossamer spiderweb of almost unnoticeable cracks embedded in the delicate orb, originating from what looked like a piece of the vortex energy. It didn't look too bad, but the redclad figures looked murderous.

"They want to know if we're..." the Doctor frowned. "The closest translation I can give is 'infidels'. But it doesn't have religious connotation." He shouted something back at them in a melodious language, giving it pacifying overtones, but the Gallifreyans did not look appeased. They raised their delicate weapons and shouted in a frenzied ululation, then charged.

"Run!" shouted the Doctor, turning tail.

Harry and Hermione sprinted after him. Harry could barely keep his footing on the loamy earth. A burst of red light struck the ground ahead of him, and he looked over his shoulder to see that the Gallifreyans close in pursuit. Unimpeded by their cumbersome robes, they were firing red light out of the long, thin objects. They were so close Harry could see the beads of sweat on their face.

Hermione shrieked and fell. Harry ran to her side. "Hermione!" She was holding her arm and wincing, clutching where one of the streams of light had grazed her arm.

"Go!" she screamed. Harry shook his head frantically and whipped out his wand, muttering healing spells.

Before the wound had done more than lighten in tone, Harry was thrust roughly to the ground by the Gallifreyans. Hermione was held down, and the Doctor, who had turned back to help them after hearing Hermione's yell, was thrown down. Harry held onto his wand with desperate fingers as the figures yelled at him in the unfamiliar tongue.

"I don't know!" he yelled back, trying to be heard, "I don't know what you're saying – "

He was struck hard across the face. He heard his nose break, and blood suddenly washed over his vision. Harry yelled in pain and clutched at his face, feeling the shape of his glasses.

Then he was suddenly not there. The noise, the swampy ground, the pain in his face, everything disappeared. He was whirling through the vortex once more.

With a wrenching feeling, he was flat on his back on a cold stone floor. He tried to open his eyes, but he felt so tired. He lost consciousness.

-oOo-

Harry awoke to dim light and excited voices. "...and then we met the Founders! Ron they were exactly how I always imagined them. Ravenclaw was so didactical and pragmatic. And there's a _whole undiscovered house,_ the House of Ulric – "

Harry scrambled to his feet, vaguely aware that the blood once masking his vision was now gone. "Ron!" he said exultantly, grabbing his best friend into a hug and pounding him on the back. He was relieved to see Ron in a general state of wellness. His hair was a bit longer, freckles less prominent, mouth a bit less ready to smile, but right now he looked overjoyed. "You all right?"

"Harry! You're awake!" Ron whooped. "How's the nose?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," said Harry. "Thanks for the _Episky_, Hermione. But listen, you all right? Kept away from the mad aliens and all?" Now there was a sentence he had never imagined saying.

"Well," sighed Ron, looking pleased that he had a story to tell, "That, Harry m'boy, is a very long tale, not for the faint of heart, and I don't want to tell it twice, so go get the the Doctor." He gestured towards the source of the dim light, and Harry looked around for the first time.

They were in a low-ceilinged cave with charcoal black walls. Stalactites dripped a silvery liquid. Beyond this section of cave there seemed to be another, for Harry heard their voices echoing beyond this chamber into others. The light was coming from the front of the cave, where the binary suns were setting. Harry could see, far in the distance, the glint of the Citadel orb. He decided from the angle that they must be in the mountains forming the canyon. Outlined against the deepening horizon was the seated outline of the Doctor.

Harry walked over to stand behind him. But before he could open his mouth, the Doctor spoke.

"I always hated this sunset," he said. "As a young boy it symbolized everything I was trying to escape. Two suns fighting for dominance in the sky, neither one winning. On Gallifrey there are two factions: High Gallifreyans and Common Gallifreyans. A caste system of sorts," and his voice was mockingly bitter. "High Gallifreyans who take the best for themselves, Common Gallifreyans who chafe at the bit and scream for anarchy. Eventually, after I'd left, the Common Gallifreyans overthrew the High Gallifreyans. Then the Common Gallifreyans themselves were destroyed...Sooner or later both suns set and take the light with them, and you realize what you had when darkness, when loneliness, sets in. When I finally ran away, all I wanted to do was come back."

"Why didn't you?"

The Doctor laughed sadly. "I was a young man with a time traveling blue box. Would you have returned to live in a house with a family when you could see the stars, explore the unexplored, change history?"

"Yes," said Harry, thinking about the parents he didn't know.

"And there's the difference between you and me, Harry Potter. The boy who died to save everyone, and the man who condemned everyone he cared about."

Harry looked at the Doctor, startled. The Doctor's face was set in a mask of mocking self-loathing. "The Timelords, the 'most advanced race' in all the universe, were bringing on a cosmos-wide Armageddon with their war with their enemies, the Daleks – another alien race. I was on the front lines. I witnessed the Fall of Arcadia, heard a million throats cry out for mercy. You humans talk about war atrocities; imagine a Dachau, an Auschwitz that never ends. Both sides used time travel to rehearse battles over and over so that the dying suffered neverending torture. Immortal warriors lay slashed to ribbons on the battlefield, unable to die. It was hell, Harry Potter. Planets you've never heard of were darkened by nightmares you've never dreamed of. The Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-Weres. Just when you thought it could not possibly get any worse, a new monstrosity was born.

"And finally came the breaking point. The Timelords, no end in sight, were set for ultimate genocide – the 'Ultimate Sanction', they called it. Everything in the universe would be destroyed. Everything. It was past nuclear warfare, it was...oblivion."

"What happened?" asked Harry, feeling a sick fascination.

"I did. Rather than see everything destroyed...I exterminated the Daleks. And I destroyed my own race to prevent them from doing the same to others. The War is timelocked, so I can't change what happened. That would cause a paradox anyways." The Doctor stared moodily at the thin line of fire on the horizon. "I never thought I would see this sunset again. It's beautiful."

Harry and the Doctor sat in silence until the suns disappeared completely. The sky had as many stars as darkness, and five moons dotted the night. Harry marveled at being so far from home. Everything had moved so fast since they'd met the Doctor, and he'd been worrying so much about Ron, that he hadn't taken time to appreciate what was happening. He was_ time-traveling_ with an _alien_. He had met the Founders of Hogwarts. He'd traveled through a rift in the vortex of the universe, and he was sitting on the soil of another world right now.

He could hardly comprehend it.

He also wondered why the Doctor had told him so much. Although he seemed friendly enough, he didn't seem like the type to volunteer information, especially not information that evoked so much pain for him. Harry knew that as hard as losing so many friends during the war with Voldemort had been, it paled in comparison to losing your entire race.

The Doctor sighed and stood up. "Is Ron going to regale us with a story?" he asked.

"We're just waiting for you," said Harry. "We don't have to start right now though..."

"Sorry to be the deadweight," replied the Doctor jokingly. "I'm fine. I'm always fine." Harry could tell the smile he was pasting on his face was false. But he'd probably had a lot of practice pretending to be happy.

-oOo-

Ron looked over at Hermione, utterly content. "You know, I missed time-traveling," he said.

She laughed. "You did it _once!_"

"But I was excellent at it! I could pilot the blue boxy thing all by myself if I wanted to. But I missed you even more." She blushed.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he said quietly. "And it made me realize all over again how much it hurt to be without you. I love you, Hermione."

She gazed at him with tears in her eyes and smiled faintly. "I love you too, Ron. I couldn't live without you."

"I shipped it first!" announced the Doctor, who had just stepped into the cave with Harry close behind. "I got the first copy of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ and I accidentally sent the TARDIS into the 17th century when I hit the part where you kissed. And _Harry Potter_ wasn't written in the 17th century. So I technically shipped it first."

"You know, someday you'll have to tell us about these books," said Hermione with a frown. "Were they written by a Muggle or – "

"Spoilers," said the Doctor cheerfully. There was a faint false note to his smile, but Ron could tell he was trying not to let it show.

"Now, Ronald Bilius Weasley." He seemed to take great pleasure in saying Ron's middle name. "I'm assuming Hermione has told you our side of the story. Would you fill us in on yours, please?"

Ron straightened up. "Well, I walked into the light, and all of a sudden I was sort of zooming. Like Apparition, but much longer. And when I finally landed, I was in this weird forest with silver leaves. I thought I'd gone to the madhouse, but I didn't see Dumbledore." Ron grinned. "So I walked around for a while. Almost a week, actually. It was buggering hot, but there was a river to drink from, and some berries."

"A week?" interrupted Harry, aghast. "How long have you been here?"

Ron hesitated. "Almost a year, as far as we can figure."

"We?" asked the Doctor with a piercing glint in his eye.

"That comes later," said Ron. "Anyways, I was wandering around, and finally one night I saw the Citadel. So I walked up to it. But before I could get near it this awesome ship came flying out, completely stealth. It flew straight to me, and these people in red robes stepped out and carried me in. I was abducted by aliens."

"Where did they take you?"

"Well, we had a hard time communicating at first. They spoke a different language, you see. So they flew and I listened. They seemed to be looking for something. We stopped once in the forest, but after a bit a bunch of other red robes attacked us. We flew away and found this nice cave in the mountains. The other reds didn't find us here."

"What happened to the other Gallifreyans?" asked the Doctor.

"Oh, is that what they're called? Have you met them before, Doctor?"

"I am one."

Ron looked delighted, and said something in the melodious language the other Time Lords had yelled at them at the Citadel. The Doctor responded, looking surprised.

"I absorbed the language after a while," explained Ron. "I haven't heard a word of English since you three arrived."

"Traveling in the TARDIS translates all languages to your ears but Gallifreyan," murmured the Doctor. "Only logical, since that's where TARDISes come from. But you didn't answer my question: what happened to the other Gallifreyans?"

"Oh, they're here in the cave."

** For some reason, I take a ridiculously long time to write an obnoxiously short amount. I literally sweated over this chapter (the heat is driving me mad) and I'm rather proud of the result. This fic is my baby.**

** Sorry I'm not sorry for the angsty Doctor. The sheer amount of plot holes and overly mysterious Doctor in the TV show concerning the Time War always bothered me, and I wanted to flesh out that direction a little bit. (Actually a lot bit. It forms the backbone of the upcoming storyline. Hehe.)**

** THANK YOU THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS. Thanks especially for the bicycle, Laveycee! Although perhaps I should have said quadricycle eh? ;D**

** And to Karl Singleton, the guest reviewer, thanks for asking, but I don't know about that. I think Harry is at peace with his parents' deaths, and anyways, that would create a paradox. It is an interesting premise though :)**

**Thanks for reading! When we hit 100 reviews I'll update again, and bake all the reviewers a cake full of rainbows and vortex energy. Just a few more events until Rosie finally makes her appearance.**


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